Online Education (MOOCs)

News about Online Education (MOOCs), including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 13, 2015

Advocates for deaf file federal lawsuits against Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alleging both universities failed to provide closed captioning in their online lectures, courses, podcasts and other educational materials; hold that lapses violated antidiscrimination laws protecting the deaf. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Some technology experts say security weaknesses on education websites, while apparently not exploited by hackers, are indicative of widespread lapses in student data protection throughout education technology area; they warn nonsecure sites could possibly expose students to hacking, identity theft or cyberbullying. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Investors are increasingly putting money into education technology firms, with CB Insights reporting venture capital for ed tech companies rose to almost $1.87 billion in 2014, up 55 percent from 2013; among big financing deals, Pluralsight raised $135 million for its online technology training, while Remind received $40 million for its free teacher messaging service. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Simon & Schuster introduces online courses from three popular health, finance and self-help authors; courses range from $25 to $85. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Dana Grossman Leeman, teacher at Simmons College social work program, who always brought treats to her students, mails care package to all her online students as way of offering physical and emotional support. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, have not lived up to hype of disrupting higher education by expanding access and reducing costs, but they are still useful instruments that help supplement students' education at their own pace. MORE

Jul. 5, 2014

Great Courses, company that offers filmed classes to people who want to further their education for sake of knowledge, can prove challenging as well for professors, who must adapt to lecturing for camera; potential professors must submit to screen test, as company seeks competitive edge with sophisticated production process. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column discusses whether or not online degrees earned in six to 12 months could bring democratic revolution to higher education; notes that AT&T and Udacity are launching so-called NanoDegree, intended to teach anyone with mastery of high school math the basic programming skills needed to qualify for many entry-level positions. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Starbucks' tuition program faces criticism for drawbacks in the fine print--notably that students could have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket, and wait months or years before being reimbursed; program now applies only to Arizona State’s online courses. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column praises Arizona State University president Michael Crow for his efforts to make school a viable option for low-income students who otherwise might not attain college degree; examines novel partnership between university and Starbucks under which all of company's employees will be eligible to receive a free online college education. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Starbucks announces arrangement with Arizona State University to provide free online college education to thousands of its workers; program is open to any of company's 135,000 United States employees, provided they work at least 20 hours a week and meet admissions requirements; employees who take advantage are not required to remain with Starbucks after their education. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

Jun. 1, 2014

HBX, online education program created by Harvard Business School, is aimed at providing basic literacy in business to undergraduates for relatively low price of $1,500; course is seen as a compromise between school's expensive, traditional program and the massive, free online courses that are being offered by competitors like Stanford and the Wharton School; critics within school say compromised approach is at odds with institution's founding principles. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Richard C Levin, who stepped down as president of Yale University, is named chief executive of Coursera; California-based company is provider of free massive open online academic courses, or MOOCs, from more than 100 partner universities in 19 countries, with aim of expanding its operations in China. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

Massive Online Open Courses, or Moocs, are growing increasingly popular, but such courses may not be best choice for students looking to change or enhance their careers; before choosing a Mooc, students should evaluate their specific goals and needs. MORE

Mar. 3, 2014

Several companies are preparing English language curriculums built entirely on digital platforms, promising to change the nature of classroom learning across the country; products would replace textbooks, worksheets or printed study guides. MORE

Feb. 19, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column notes that Technion Prof Hossam Haick will begin teaching the first ever massive open online course on nanotechnology in Arabic; contends that the level of interest in the course dispels any doubts about the hunger for education in the Middle East; maintains that the course is a reminder of how Arab-Israeli conflict has wasted money and human talent. MORE

Feb. 14, 2014

University of the People, tuition-free four-year-old online institution built to reach underserved students around the world, announces it has received accreditation. MORE

Feb. 14, 2014

Pascack Valley Regional High School District in New Jersey uses the snowstorm affecting the East Coast to conduct a virtual school day; public schools around the country are exploring whether they can use virtual learning as a practical solution to unpredictable weather. MORE

Jan. 28, 2014

Salman Khan is founder of Khan Academy, which offers free online courses in STEM subjects--science, technology, engineering and mathematics; Khan discusses beginnings of academy and its day-to-day operations. MORE

Dec. 11, 2013

Large-scale online courses, hailed as a way to democratize higher education, have so far been plagued by very high attrition rates; University of Pennsylvania study of million users of courses found only about half of those who registered for a course ever viewed a lecture, and only about 4 percent completed courses. MORE

Dec. 5, 2013

Professors at Davidson College in North Carolina will design online lessons for high school students in Advanced Placement courses in calculus, physics and macroeconomics and make them widely available through the College Board and edX, a nonprofit online education venture. MORE

Nov. 21, 2013

Survey finds that about 80 percent of people who enrolled in a massive open online course from the University of Pennsylvania's Coursera program have already earned a bachelor's degree. MORE

Nov. 3, 2013

Online education is beginning to show itself as a disruptive innovation, introducing more convenient and affordable services that can transform sectors but many brick and mortar institutions are failing to fully embrace its possibilities; lessons from other industries show that those who truly innovate, rather than simply incorporating new technology into established model, will lead the way. MORE

Nov. 1, 2013

Coursera, California-based venture that has enrolled five million students in its free online courses, announces partnership with United States government to create 'learning hubs' around the world where students can go to get Internet access to free courses supplemented by weekly in-person class discussions with local teachers or facilitators. MORE

Oct. 12, 2013

Tara Siegel Bernard Your Money column on Joshua Rauh, Stanford finance professor who has opened his graduate-level course on the finance of retirement and pensions to the masses; notes animated visuals and colorful graphics help clarify the concepts in 10 lecture videos, offered free online. MORE

Oct. 9, 2013

“Flipped schools,” where students watch video lessons at home and do “homework” in class, are showing early promise in improving learning. MORE

Sep. 26, 2013

Tool Kit column; three major sites have emerged in the last couple of years to offer massive open online courses, greatly expanding the opportunity to take college classes; sites are EdX, Coursera and Udacity. MORE

Sep. 18, 2013

Coursera and edX, two largest providers of massive open online courses, are inching closer to offering degree programs, although courses so far carry no academic credit. MORE

Sep. 15, 2013

Laura Pappano article profiles Battushig Myanganbayar, Mongolian high school student and electrical engineering whiz who earned highest score in sophomore-level online electronics class at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; his success shows that schools can use Massive Open Online Course, or MOOCs, to find exceptional students all over the globe. MORE

Sep. 11, 2013

Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology join forces with Google to start open-source learning platform Open edX. MORE

Sep. 9, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Aaron Hirsh holds courses provided online by colleges and universities have certain advantages, like being more accessible, but are too focused on accreditation; contends traditional college courses prompt and equip students to investigate the world, leading to a more engaged life, in a way that online courses do not. MORE

Aug. 29, 2013

San Jose State University announces results in its closely watched pilot partnership with Udacity, for-profit provider of online courses, to offer low-cost introductory classes online for credit. MORE

Aug. 25, 2013

Curtis Institute of Music offers online course in Beethoven and app on Ninth Symphony that has sold hundreds of thousands of copies; new offerings cater to classical music lovers, but leaves question of whether purists will embrace technology. MORE

Aug. 18, 2013

Georgia Institute of Technology is planning in 2014 to offer master's degree in computer science through massive open online courses for fraction of on-campus cost, first for an elite institution; if course even approaches its goal of drawing thousands of students, it could signal a change to the landscape of higher education (Series: Virtual U). MORE

Aug. 4, 2013

Bernard Bull, administrator and professor of educational design and technology at Concordia University, offers massive open online course Understanding Cheating in Online Courses on the Canvast Network to educators looking to mitigate cheating in their online courses. MORE

Jun. 23, 2013

Natasha Singer Technophoria column warns that educators may be embracing technology without doing enough to secure student data; notes that expert analysis of Edmodo learning network, adopted by California school district, revealed that a stranger could easily crack system, exploiting it to identify and even contact students. MORE

Jun. 20, 2013

Rancorous debate over online courses has emerged regarding whether they will lead to better learning, lower costs and higher graduation rates, or to dismantling of public universities and second-class education; announcement that Coursera, which offers free college classes online, has signed agreements with state universities enrolling more than million students has made it plain that such courses are part of eduction mainstream. MORE

Jun. 19, 2013

International Monetary Fund and edX, nonprofit e-learning venture, announce collaboration to offer fund's training courses in macroeconomics and finance on edX platform. MORE

Jun. 14, 2013

Former President Bill Clinton, working with Mozilla, MacArthur Foundation and consortium interested in virtual learning, announces project to expand the use of Open Badges--online credentials that employers or universities can use in hiring, admissions, promotions or awarding credit. MORE

May. 30, 2013

Coursera, California company that offers free college classes online, is forming partnerships with 10 large public university systems and public flagship universities to create courses that students can take for credit, either fully online or with classroom sessions; State University of New York will be among those partnering with Coursera as part of effort to enroll 100,000 new students. MORE

May. 15, 2013

Georgia Institute of Technology, along with AT&T and Udacity, plans to offer master's degree in computer science that can be earned entirely through so-called massive open online courses, or MOOCs. MORE

May. 3, 2013

Philosophy department at San Jose State University issues open letter criticizing school's public commitment to using online courses to attract students; argues that online courses will compromise quality of education, stifle diverse viewpoint and lead to dismantling of public universities. MORE

May. 1, 2013

The founder of a new start-up, Curious, that begins on Wednesday believes he has created a better way for the little guys on YouTube and other video sites to teach others. MORE

May. 1, 2013

Duke University pulls out of Semester Online, education consortium that offers undergraduate courses for credit, after objections from faculty members. MORE

Apr. 30, 2013

Educators are turning to gritty task of harnessing online materials to meet toughest challenges in American higher education, giving more students access to college, and helping them graduate on time; universities are beginning to experiment with adding 'massive open online courses,' created to deliver elite college instruction to anyone with an Internet connection, to their offerings (Series: Virtual U). MORE

Apr. 21, 2013

Op-Ed article by A J Jacobs, editor at large at Esquire magazine, evaluates overall experience of online college courses after taking series of such courses over a few months. MORE

Apr. 12, 2013

Commission on online learning led by former Education Secretary Richard W Riley proposes easier way for universities to offer online courses across state lines by relaxing current patchwork of rules and fees. MORE

Apr. 9, 2013

CourseSmart, tracking technology being tested by professors at nine American universities, allows professors to track students’ progress in reading assignments in digital textbooks; engagement information could give colleges early warning about which students might flunk out, while more broadly letting teachers know if an entire class is falling behind and needs material presented in a different manner. MORE

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